Wednesday, November 7, 2007

In an exclusive interview to BT, the vivacious but evasive actress Rani Mukerji shot down all rumours of a February 10, 2008 wedding to filmmaker Aditya Chopra at the Umaid Bhavan Palace in Jodhpur.

Giving her throaty laugh, Rani said, “How many times are they going to fix the day, venue, honeymoon, etc for me? The media might as well get the wedding cards printed and send me one. I’ll just show up for the event.”

But, there cannot be smoke without fire. “I’m not the one spreading the rumour. I wish I was rich enough to book Umaid Bhavan for my wedding. On February 10, I’m working with Kunal Kohli and Saif Ali Khan. Set another date for my wedding, please,” the actress known for comedy, begged.According to Rani, she is not getting involved or married to anybody else either to prove that Aditya and she aren’t an item in Bollywood.

“I can climb on top of a water tank like Dharmendra did in Sholay and deny the rumour. But what’s the point? The media will still insist on getting me married,” she giggled.

Instead of marriage, Rani would rather talk about Sanjay Leela Bhansali in whose film Saawariya she will next be seen.

“I’m a prominent part of Sanjay’s life. We’re always there for one another. We’re very comfortable in each others’ company. The first role he ever offered me was in Bajirao Mastani . That didn’t materialise. When I invited him home, Sanjay said, ‘Since you aren’t doing my film there’s no point in our having lunch.’ I think our friendship started there. We spent a lot of time during Black. That’s when we really bonded.”

Unlike Black where she featured prominently, Rani’s role in Saawariya is not pivotal. “The actors don’t choose roles. I’ve implicit faith in Sanjay’s vision. In Saawariya I do something I’ve never done before. In both my films with Sanjay, I was initially hesitant, but he insisted nobody else could do the roles. Compared to Black , my role in Saawariya is far less challenging. But I play this prostitute that brings out the actress in me. Sanjay finds me a far superior actor than I think I am.”

After playing the central character in so many films was it hard to let two newcomers take centrestage in Saawariya ? “I didn’t look at it that way. But I wouldn’t do the same role for any other filmmaker. Sanjay had already cast Sonam and Ranbir when I came into the picture. One day he said he was really missing me in the film and offered me this role because he couldn’t bear to do Saawariya without me. That’s the kind of confidence and love I find so encouraging. I immediately agreed. It doesn’t matter what role he offered me. Salman and I in Saawariya are like family supporting a collective endeavour. We didn’t care about the length of our roles.”

She is close to Sonam and Ranbir. “If there’re things she can’t tell her parents, Sonam pours her heart out to me. I’m always there to guide her. She’s a very good child. As for Ranbir, he’s a shy, well-brought-up kid,” said Rani while leaving for LA and Bangkok to attend the premieres of Saawariya .